Internet is proof..

[u.u]

..that Communism can work. Or at least Socialism.

There just needs to be a want behind it all. I think the a reason why people aren't so attracted to putting the Left in action is because people want to know whats in it for them. I know that the Left mainly operates as a group, but truth is, there aren't many selfless people in the world who would look out for each other's needs. Instant gratification (or striving towards it) works well for most people. I think in order for the Left to work, we are gonna have to make people realize that this is what they need and that it has the ability to provide results and that instant gratification that so many people want (instant gratification available by group effort. i.e: Internet)

Anyone else agree or disagree? Please destroy my argument. :blush:

[BobKKKindle$]

I think what you are basically describing is the development of revolutionary class consciousness. The Main groups that would benefit from the establishement of a Socialist society would undoubtably be the Proletariat and Lumpenproletariat. However, currently, many proletarians are only concerned with their immiediete material conditions, and do not recognize that reforming capitalism may lead to increase in purchasing power, yet cannot change their fundamental role in terms of control over the economy and ownership of property. In addition, many proletarians do not recognize the fundamental importance of the class antagonism, and are instead focused upon meaningless antagonisms such as religion and nationalism. In order to create a revolutionary struggle between the proletarians and capitalists, it is necessary to show the proletariat how they could have vastly greater power under Socialism.

[blueeyedboy]

bobkindles is exactly right when he says that workers are only bothered about "immediate material conditions". I think it almost impossible to counteract this, as I think it is inate to to want more than what one has. It needs a superman to tell workers this is not the case. How is it possible to tell workers that things can be different under socialism, as they are so used to being under capitalism and making do with what they have.

[ItalianCommie]

However, currently, many proletarians are only concerned with their immiediate material conditions, and do not recognize that reforming capitalism may lead to increase in purchasing power, yet cannot change their fundamental role in terms of control over the economy and ownership of property.In addition, many proletarians do not recognize the fundamental importance of the class antagonism, and are instead focused upon meaningless antagonisms such as religion and nationalism. In order to create a revolutionary struggle between the proletarians and capitalists, it is necessary to show the proletariat how they could have vastly greater power under Socialism.

It's not only a question of convincing the proletariat.
I have convinced many (italian teens)bourgeois to join the Young Communists, showing how we take firm position for the right things at the right time. Of course I live in Italy, where communists in general are much more present in mainstream italian political discussion. Might i remind you that in 1975 the Italian Communist Party was the largest communist Party in Western Europe, with nearly 2 million members and 35% of the vote. I think Trotsky's 'Transitional Programme' isn't a bad example of how to make people, some bourgeois and many proletarians in general realize that the only way out of capitalism is a socialist transition to a communist society. We can achieve that by inserting our members in some mainstream trade unions, and as the movement grows slowly we hegemonize the union. Or, taking example from Italy, hegemonize the Italian Cultural debate in universities. That's one of the reasons why communism in Italy, ever since 1921 as a movement has always been present in Italian mainstream politics, without losing enourmous credibilty even when Stalin's crimes were denounced. This was theorized by Antonio Gramsci, one of italy's major contributions to Marxism, and one of the greatest Marxists that ever lived.

Hegemonizing the various worker's and student's movements, is one of the best ways of strengthening the movement or the Party in general, without renouncing to the abolition of private property or the collectivization of the means of production, even when present in a bourgeois Parliament.

The presence of the Party in and about the land, in both city and countryside, is what I believe a fundamental contribution.
In Italy for example, in regions like Emilia and Tuscany the local Communist Party HQs had become the centre of the entire local social life, with peaks in the national vote reaching 90% in some towns and villages. Now that's impressive.